1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an overflow tray for use with water containing appliances, and particularly to an overflow tray for use with a clothes washing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Overflow trays for use with water containing appliances, such as water coolers, dishwashers and washing machines, are known. The purpose of these trays is to guard against water damage resulting from overflow, leaks, tank or seal failures, etc. occurring in the appliance. Overflow trays are particularly recommended in apartments and modern homes where wash areas are located above a lower floor.
One prior art proposal for a washing machine overflow tray is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,950. The tray includes a removable vertical gate extending between side walls to function as a front wall. A tongue and groove structure seals and holds the vertical gate to the bottom wall and to the side walls. A spigot valve is located in the vertical gate for the disclosed purpose of draining water from the tray.
The tray of U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,950 suffers from several disadvantages. A principle disadvantage is that it does not have a drain outlet to automatically conduct water away from the tray. The spigot valve requires that a person to be present and attentive in order to open the spigot. Even if the spigot is properly opened to drain the tray, some amount of water will remain below the spigot. Parts of the washing machine will stand in the water and rust or the water could stagnate to the point of creating a discernable odor. Another disadvantage is that in order to drain water from the tray, a hose must be connected to the spigot to direct the water away from the tray or a relatively flat container must be placed under the spigot and continually filled and emptied. Another disadvantage is that the prior art tray cannot accommodate water in volumes larger than the volume of the tray as could occur during a catastrophic failure in the appliance.
Another disadvantage of the known tray is that the side walls are perpendicular to the bottom wall and near the vertical gate the side walls have very little support or strength to prevent the side walls from moving relative to one another. For example, as the washing machine is placed on the floor of the tray, it is slid into place. During this sliding movement of the washing machine, a side wall can be contacted by the washing machine and broken, damaged or cracked all of which can lead to water leaking from the tray. This damaging contact can also occur from an imbalanced condition of the washing machine during operation. The washing machine can contact the side walls near the vertical gate and displace the side walls even a slight amount without causing permanent damage to the tray. This contact could result in disrupting the seal between the vertical gate and the bottom wall or side walls to permit water leaking from the tray.
Another known prior art attempt at protecting a support surface from leaks, spills, overflows and failures of a water-containing appliance includes providing a relatively thin-walled vacuum formed plastic drip pan. This prior art drip pan is prone to breakage when the appliance vibrates during use. The prior art drip pan has no provision for connecting to a drain system other than a garden hose attached to a side of the drip pan. The prior art drip pan cannot contain the fourteen to twenty-two gallons of water that is typically present in a washing machine. The prior art drip pan also has no removable gate or wall for ease of placing a washing machine on the drip pan without lifting.